Circulating junk basket



Jan. 4, 1966 A. BUMPERS 3,227,216

cmcuLAi'ING JUN BASKEj'I Filed July 5', 1965 Bum 0 er .r

Gear 6 /4 l INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,227,216 a CIRCULATING JUNK BASKE George A. Bumpers, Western Skies Motel, 7809 Katy Road, Houston, Tex. Filed July 5, 1963, Ser. No. 293,016

6 Claims. (Cl. 166-65) This invention relates to fishing tools of the type used to remove undesired pieces of material, i.e. junk from a well bore. i

There is a need, particularly in the oil and gas industry where wells are being drilled deeper and deeper, for a fishing tool of the type commonly known as a circulating junk basket through which the circulation can be changed from normal circulation to reverse circulation and back again simply by manipulating the pipe string to which the tool is attached and it is an object of this invention to provide such a fishing tool. g

It is also an object of this invention to provide a fishing tool which employs magnetic means to trap and hold the junk which enters the fishing tool which can adjust itself to the different quantities of junk which may be found on the bottom of a well bore.

It is a further object of thisinvention to provide a fishing tool which automatically provides for the reverse circulation of well fluid when the tool engages the bottom of the well bore to help wash the particles of material to be recovered into the fishing tool and which automatically returns to conventional circulation when the tool is lifted from the bottom of the well bore. It is a further object of this invention to provide a fishing tool which can be rotated if desired while the fishing tool is in engagement with the bottom of the well bore without affecting the circulation of fluid through the well tool. 1

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a well tool which requires no waiting time to change circulation from conventional to reverse circulation once the tool is inposition in engagement with the bottom of the well bore,

Other objects, features and advantages will be apparent to one skilled in the art from a consideration of the specification, attached drawings and appended claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through the well tool showing it in engagement with the bottom of the hole preparatory to either removing the tool from the hole or the beginning of the fishing operation; a

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken through the tool along line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 isa sectional view FIG. 1.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings the tool is carried into and out ofthe well bore on an elongated, tubular, mandrel which is connected to pipe string 11 by threads 12. Slidably attached to the lower end of the taken along line 3--3 of mandrel is body 13 which is provided with a centrally located opening 14, through which the mandrel extends. Opening 14 has a portion 14a of smaller diameter adjacent the lowerend of the body to provide an internal shoulder 15. The lower end ofthe mandrel is also provided with a section 10a of reduced diameter designed to pass through opening 14a and to also provide opposing shoulders 16 and 17 which engage shoulder 15 and the underside of body 13 and limit the relative movement of the mandrel with respect to the body. Seal ring 18 is provided between the body and the mandrel to prevent the flow of fluid through the central opening ofthe body. As seen in FIG. 2 the upper portion 14b of opening 14 and section 1012 of mandrel 10 which is located in this portion of opening 14 are rectangular rather than circular in cross sec-t tion to thereby prevent the mandrel from rotating relative 3,227,216 Patented Jan. 4, 1966 to the body, thus any rotation imparted to the mandrel through pipe string 11 will also be imparted to the body of the tool,

A telescoping packer assembly generally indicated by thenumber 20 is located between the upper end of mandrel 10 and the upper end of body 13 and is designed to be forced into sealing engagement with the well bore by relative downward movement of the mandrel in the body. The packing assembly consists of downwardly extending tubular member 21 which is attached to the upper end of mandrel 10 and which slidably receives a similar tubular member 22 attached to the upper end of body 13. Tubular member 22 is provided with an internal diameter of such that the annular flow space 23 between member 22 and mandrel 10 is suflicient to avoid unnecessarily restricting the flow of fluid therethrough. A packing element 24 is arranged with its upper end rotatably attached to member 21 by means of bearing 25 and its lower end rotatably attached to member 22 by means of bearing 26. Thus as members 21 and 22 telescope as a result of relative movement between mandrel 10 and body 13, packing element 24 will be forced outwardly into sealing engagement with the well bore as shown by the dotted lines in 'FIG. 1.

Attached to the lower end of body 13 by means of threads 29 is tubular member 30. This is the junk basket within which the junk will be collected. Attached in turn to the lower end of member or junk basket 30 by means of threads 31 is a conventional rotary shoe 32. Extending laterally across the junk basket and spaced from the end of body 13 is partition 33 which divides the junk basket into an upper chamber 34 and a lower chamber 35. Depending from partition 33 and extending into chamber 35 is cylindrical member 36. This member is designed to slidably receive the lower end of mandrel 10. The lower end 100 of the mandrel is provided with two vertically spaced fluid ports. The lower port 37 is located within cylindrical member 36 which, in turn, is provided with fluid port 38 adjacent its upper end so that fluid going through mandrel 10 can pass through fluid port 37 through 'fluid port 38 into chamber 35 when the mandrel is in its uppermost position as shown in FIG. 1. Sealing rings 39 and 40 are located on opposite sides of fluid port 38 in sealing engagement with the lower end of mandrel tiori between mandrel 10 and chamber 34. Fluid passing into this chamber is directed through passageways 42 provided in the wall of junk basket 30 to a point between the teeth on rotary shoe 32. To provide a return passageway for this fluid, body 13 is further provided with a plurality of passageways 43 which connect the lower side of the body to annular space 23 between mandrel 10 and telescoping members 21 and 22 of the packing assembly. A plurality of ports 44 are located at the upper end of tube 21 so that fluid passing through annular space 23 can flow outwardly into annulus 45 between the pipe string and the well bore. Connecting the openings the wall of junk basket 30. This first passageway then directs fluid from the mandrel to the bottom of the tool and discharges it at a point adjacent the teeth on rotary shoe 32. The second passageway consists of chamber 35, tubes 46 which connect chamber 35 to passageway 43 in the body, passageways 43, annular space 23 from which fluid flows into annulus 45 and then to the surface. This second passageway then provides a return route for the fluid discharged from the first passageway. A third passageway comprises mandrel 10, fluid port 37 in the lower end of the mandrel, fluid port 38 in cylindrical member 36 through which fluid can enter chamber 35 which is also connected to the second passageway described previously.

With this arrangement of fluid passages, circulation down the pipe string into the mandrel can be switched from conventional to reverse circulation by providing means for controlling the flow through the third passageway. In the embodiment illustrated these means are the seal rings 39 and 40.

It is the purpose of this well tool to gather undesirable particles of material or junk into the open end of junk basket 30 and remove this junk from the well bore. Some means must be provided to hold this junk once it enters the bottom of the tool and in the embodiment illustrated in the drawings this is accomplished by bi-polar bar magnet 50. The magnet has opposite poles at its upper and lower ends and is preferably made of one of the modern ferromagnetic alloys having a high retentivity and field strength. To allow the tool to accommodate varying amounts of junk, the magnet 50 is slidably mounted within junk basket ,30 to allow the magnet to move upward away from the lower end of the tool as the junk on the bottom of the well bore is washed into the open end of the junk basket. Stop ring 51 is located adjacent the open end of the junk basket to hold the magnet in the tool and a cylindrical guide member 52 is attached to the upper end of the magnet to slidably engage member 36 and guide the magnet as it moves upward. By allowing the magnet to move upward in the junk basket, the magnet can be located adjacent the lower end of the tool in position to attract the junk which initially enters the junk basket and to then move up as more junk is forced into the junk basket by the circulating fluid and the rotating rotary shoe. By allowing the junk to enter the basket in this fluid to thereby remove any coating of mud, etc. on the way, it is exposed to the cleaning action of the circulating junk which would reduce the magnetic attraction between the various pieces of junk themselves and between the junk and the magnet.

In operation, the tool is attached to a pipe string and lowered into the well bore. As the tool travels downwardly within the well bore the fluid that it displaces can flow either around the tool in the conventional manner or upwardly through the open end of the tool through tubes 46, passageways 43, annular space 23 and back to the annulus 45 or through passageways 42 and fluid port 38 into mandrel and into the pipe string.

When the tool reaches the bottom of the well bore the downward travel of body 13 will stop. By continuing to lower pipestring -11, mandrel 10 will move downwardly relative to body 13, which will cause tubular members 21 and 22 of the packer assembly to telescope causing packing element 24 to be compressed and forced outwardly into sealing engagement with the well bore. This position of the packing element is indicated by the dotted lines in FIG. 1. At the same time that the packer element is being set to seal off the annulus between the tool and the well bore, the lower end 10c of the mandrel has moved downwardly with respect to cylindrical member 36 until fluid port 37 is located below seal ring 40. This seals off fluid port 37, preventing the fiow of fluid from the mandrel into chamber 35, forcing all fluid circulated down the pipe string to flow through fluid ports 41 into chamber 34 from where it flows through passageways 42 to a point adjacent the teeth on rotary shoe 32. Fluid discharged at this point would, of course, flow not to the inside of the tool but rather outwardly toward the well bore and up the outside of the tool unless it was prevented. This is the purpose of packing element 24 which seals off the annulus above the bottom of the well bore and forces all of the fluid pumped down pipe string 11 to flow from the outer peripheral edge of the rotary shoe into the open end of the tool. This produces the desired washing action which tends to carry the junk which has accumulated on the bottom of the hole into the junk basket where it can be held by magnet 50. Magnet 50, of course, can hold only junk which is magnetizable and should the tool be used to recover junk which is not magnetizable, then other means such as conventional junk catchers of the type well known in the art can be employed.

While the tool is on the bottom of the well bore it is desirable to rotate the rotary shoe, since it is preferably provided with tapered teeth which will tend to force the junk on the bottom of the well bore toward the center of the rotary shoe. This rotation is possible even though packing element 29 is in sealing engagement with the well bore since it is rotatably attached to the tool by means of bearings 25 and 26. Thus the entire tool can rotate with respect to the packing element which remains stationary in sealing engagement with the well bore. Rotation, of course, is imparted to the rotary shoe by means of the square section 10b on the mandrel which is located within the square opening 14b in body 13.

While the tool is on bottom then fluid is circulated from the outer periphery of the tool into its open lower end as described above. This fluid passes upward through magnet 50 which is provided with a central opening 50a through which the fluid can readily flow. From chamber 35 the fluid asses upward through tubes 46, passageways 43 in body 13, through annular space 23 between the outside of the mandrel and the inside of tubular members 21 and 22, and out ports 44 into annulus 45 from which it returns to the surface of the ground.

After fishing operations are completed and the tool is picked up from the bottom of the well bore, mandrel 10 moves upward relative to body 13 to the position indicated in FIG. 1. This movement simultaneously causes packing element 24 to return to its original position and fluid port 37 in the lower end of mandrel 10 to move back into fluid communication with chamber 35 through fluid port 38 in cylindrical member 36. Whatever junk may have been washed into the lower end of the tool is held within the tool by means of magnet 50 and the tool is ready for the trip out of the well bore. As the tool travels out of the well here fluid can flow past the tool between it and the well bore and down through mandrel 10 out through both ports 37 and 41 and out of the bottom of the tool either through chamber 35 or passageways 42.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the apparatus.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

The invention having been described, what is claimed 1. A fishing tool for recovering junk from the bottom of a well bore, comprising in combination, a body, a junk basket attached to the body and extending downwardly therefrom; an elongated tubular mandrel adapted to be connected to a pipe string for lowering the tool into relative to the body; means for providing a flow space between the packing means and the mandrel that is connected with the annular space between the pipelstring and the well bore above the packing means; the mandrel having two vertically spaced, fluid ports adjacent its lower end through which fluid canfiow into and out of the mandrel; said tool having a plurality of fluid passages including a first fluid passage connecting the upper fluid port on the mandrel to the annular space between the junk basket and the well bore, a second fluid passageway connecting the interior of the junk basket and the flow space between the packing means and the mandrel, and a third fluid passageway connecting the lower fluid port in the mandrel to the interior of the junk basket; and valve means for stopping the flow of fluid between the lower fluid port in the mandrel and the interior of the junk basket when the junk basket engages the bottom of the well bore and the mandrel slides vertically downward relative to the body to set the packer to forceall of the to allow the tool to rotate relative to the packer assembly, the tool being further provided with means for preventing relative rotation between the mandrel and the body to allow the rotation of the pipe string to be transmitted through the mandrel to the body and to the junk basket.

5. A magnetic fishing tool, comprising, in combination, a body having a central opening therein, an elongated tubular mandrel with its lower end extending through the central opening in the body and its upper end adapted to be connectedto a pipe string for lowering the tool into a well bore, the mandrel having a shoulder fluid pumped down the pipe string into the mandrel to flow out of the mandrel through the upper fluid port, through the first passageway, and into the interior of the junk basket at its lower end, to tend to wash any junk adjacent the bottom of the well bore into the junk basket.

2. The fishing tool of claim 1 further provided with means for rotatably connecting the packing compressing means to the mandrel and the body to allow the mandrel and the body to be rotated relative to the packing means.

3. A fishing tool for recovering junk on the bottom of a well bore, comprising, in combination, a tubular body having a central opening therethrough, an elongated tubular mandrel extending through the central opening in the body to slidably mount the body on its lower end, stop means on the body and the mandrel to interengage and limit the distance the mandrel can slide upwardly relative to the mandrel, a packer'attached at one end to the mandrel and at the other end to the body to be forced into sealing engagement withthe well bore when the mandrel slides downwardly relative to the body, a flow passage between thepacker assembly and the mandrel connecting the exterior of the packing assembly above where it sealingly engages a well bore with the central opening in the body, an open ended tubular junk basket attached to and depending from the body to engage the bottom of the well bore and hold the body against further downward movement to allow the mandrel to move downwardly with respect to the body and force the packing assembly into sealing engagement with such well bore; the mandrel having two vertically spaced fluid ports means including a passageway providing fluid communication between the upper port and the exterior of the junk basket, means for connecting the lower port to the interior of the junk basket when the stop means are in engagement to allow fluid flow therebetween, means for stopping the flow of fluids through the-lower port when the junk basket engages the bottom of the well bore and moves upward relative to the mandrel to move the packer assembly into sealing engagement with a well bore to cause fluid to flow from the lower periphery of the junk basket into the junk basket by pumping fluid into the mandrel, and a fluid passageway in the body connecting the interior of the junk basket to the annular space between the mandrel and the packer assembly to allow the fluid entering the junk basket to flow to the exterior of the packer assembly above where it sealingly engages the well bore. j

4. The fishing tool of claim 3 in which the packer assembly is rotatably attached to the mandrel and the body thereon located below the body to support the body on the mandrel, and means to prevent the mandrel from rotating relative to the body; first and second telescoping tubular members surrounding the mandrel, the first tubular member being attached to the upper end of the mandrel with the second member attached to the body, the mandrel being spaced from the tubular members sufliciently to provide an annular flow passage therebetween, a packing element with one end rotatably attached to the first member and its other end rotatable attached to the second member to allow the members to rotate relative to the packing element; the first tubular member having an opening to allow fluid to flow between the annular flow passage between the mandrel and the tubular members and the outside of the first tubular member; a tubular housing attached. to and extending below the body to engage the bottom of the well bore and hold the body and second tubular member against further downward movement to allow the mandrel to move downing into an upper and a lower chamber; said partition having a central opening and a depending member ex tending into the lower chamber having a first opening to reciprocably receive the lower end of the mandrel, said member having a second opening connecting the interior thereof to the lower chamber; said mandrel having two vertically spaced openings, the upper opening being located in the upper chamber and the lower in the depending member, seal means carried by one ofthe mandrel and the member and located to allow fluid to flow from the mandrel through the lower opening therein into the member and from the member through the second opening therein into the lower chamber when the mandrel is in its uppermost position supporting the body but which prevents the flow of fluid from the member through the second opening into the lower chamber when themandrel has moved downwardly relative to the body sufliciently to force the packing element into sealing engagement with the well bore; a first passageway in the housing member connecting the interior of the upper chamber to the exterior of the housing, connecting means including a second passageway in the body connecting the annular space between the mandrel and the telescoping tubular members to the interior of the lower chamber whereby fluid flowing to the exterior of the housing through the first passageway can flow into the lower chamber of the housing to help move any junk on the bottom of the well bore into the housing and from the lower chamber to the annular space between the mandrel and the telescoping members through the connecting means, and a magnet reciprocally mounted in the housing to attract and hold any magnetizable junk which enters the housing.

6. A fishing tool for recovering junk from a well bore, comprising, a body, a junk basket attached to and depending from the body, a mandrel, means for slidably connecting the body to the mandrel for limited longitudinal movement of the body relative to the mandrel between a lower and an upper position, the body being supported by the mandrel when it is in its lower position, a packing element, means for moving the packing element into sealing engagement with the well bore when the downward travel of the junk basket and body is stopped and the mandrel moves downwardly relative thereto, said tool having a first fluid pasageway connecting the interior of the junk basket and the exterior of the tool above the packing element, a second fluid passageway connecting the interior of the mandrel to the exterior of the tool below the packing element, and a third passageway connecting the interior of the mandrel to the interior of the junk basket, and valve means, including seal means Carried by one of the body and the mandrel to sealingly engage the other for stopping the flow of fluid through the third passageway only when the downward travel of the junk basket and body has been stopped and the mandrel has moved downwardly relative thereto to cause fluid pumped into the mandrel to flow therefrom through the o 0 second passageway to the exterior of the tool below the packing element and thence into the junk basket.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FISHING TOOL FOR RECOVERING JUNK FROM THE BOTTOM OF A WELL BORE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A BODY, A JUNK BASKET ATTACHED TO THE BODY AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM; AN ELONGATED TUBULAR MANDREL ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A PIPE STRING FOR LOWERING THE TOOL INTO A WELL BORE; MEANS FOR SLIDABLY CONNECTING THE BODY TO THE MANDREL FOR LIMITED LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE BODY RELATIVE TO THE MANDREL; PACKING MEANS, MEANS CONNECTED TO THE MANDREL AND THE BODY FOR COMPRESSING THE PACKING MEANS TO SEAL THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE TOOL AND THE WELL BORE WHEN THE MANDREL MOVES DOWNWARDLY RELATIVE TO THE BODY; MEANS FOR PROVIDING A FLOW SPACE BETWEEN THE PACKING MEANS AND THE MANDREL THAT IS CONNECTED WITH THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE PIPE STRING AND THE WELL BORE ABOVE THE PACKING MEANS; THE MANDREL HAVING TWO VERTICALLY SPACED, FLUID PORTS ADJACENT ITS LOWER END THROUGH WHICH FLUID CAN FLOW INTO AND OUT OF THE MANDREL; SAID TOOL HAVING A PLURALITY OF FLUID PASSAGES INCLUDING A FIRST FLUID PASSAGE CONNECTING THE UPPER FLUID PORT ON THE MANDREL TO THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE JUNK BASKET AND THE WELL BORE, A SECOND FLUID PASSAGEWAY CONNECTING THE INTERIOR OF THE JUNK BASKET AND THE FLOW SPACE BETWEEN THE PACKING MEANS AND THE MANDREL, AND A THIRD FLUID PASSAGEWAY CONNECTING THE LOWER FLUID PORT IN THE MANDREL TO THE INTERIOR OF THE JUNK BASKET; AND VALVE MEANS FOR STOPPING THE FLOW OF FLUID BETWEEN THE LOWER FLUID PORT IN THE MANDREL AND THE INTERIOR OF THE JUNK BASKET WHEN THE JUNK BASKET ENGAGES THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL BORE AND THE MANDREL SLIDES VERTICALLY DOWNWARD RELATIVE TO THE BODY TO SET THE PACKER TO FORCE ALL OF THE FLUID PUMPED DOWN THE PIPE STRING INTO THE MANDREL TO FLOW OUT OF THE MANDREL THROUGH THE UPPER FLUID PORT, THROUGH THE FIRST PASSAGEWAY, AND INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE JUNK BASKET AT ITS LOWER END, TO TEND TO WASH ANY JUNK ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL BORE INTO THE JUNK BASKET. 